India's state-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders is building six Scorpene-class submarines under French license, under and the two governments are nearing agreement on a follow-on deal for six additional boats valued at $6 billion. (India MoD photo)
The submarines would come from French shipbuilder Naval Group, which "will formulate an offer that goes very far in the Make in India direction," said a source familiar with the company's preparation for the submarine procurement tender under the Indian Navy's P75I category.
The second batch of three Rafale aircraft got airborne from Istres airbase in France and flew for over eight hours before landing at an IAF base. They covered a distance of over 3700 nautical miles with three in-flight refuellings. pic.twitter.com/gHEixnMh2B
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) November 4, 2020
The source spoke of talks between French Defense Minister Florence Parly and her Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, in September. The meeting, in New Delhi, covered Indo-French defense cooperation and procurement contracts, including "ongoing ones as well as possible future prospects," the source said. "One of these is the P75I submarines tender."
The tender is to build six stealth submarines with air-independent propulsion technology that would have a longer submerged range than subs already being shipped to the Indian Navy.
The deal, expected to be finalized sometime next year, is valued at 420 billion rupees ($5.6 billion), according to Harsh V Pant, chief of the Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation.
Naval Group is currently working with India's state-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders to deliver six Kalvari submarines that are valued at a combined 230 billion rupees ($3.13 billion). Two of these have already been launched, two are undergoing sea trials and two are under construction. (end of excerpt)
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